July 23, 1964 - “It was kinda nice” to register big-league career victory No. 266 and match the lifetime totals of Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey, the Orioles’ Robin Roberts conceded tonight in Baltimore.
Another name kept popping up, though, as the 37-year-old Bird righthander reviewed his five-hit 7-1 triumph over Cleveland that boosted Baltimore back within .005 percentage points of the league-leading Yankees, who were beaten by Washington tonight.
Fred Whitfield’s eighth-inning pinch double into the left-field corner eventually sabotaged his bid for career shutout No. 41, and it was Roberts who brought it up.
“You know, I’m not much for calling off statistics,” said Robin, “but that fellow’s statistics I know pretty well. Do you know Whitfield is 11 for 13 against me over the last two years?”
“Of course, I’ve held him to a single a couple of times,” Roberts added, “but how do you explain a guy hitting me like that? He even hits me when he doesn’t hit me.
This time, I thought I had him though. I threw him a good pitch. It was a fastball — not down as much as I wanted it, but a good pitch with a lot on it.
“Just when I thought I had it by for a strike, he flicked that bat around and sliced it into the corner for two bases. You’d think a guy like Whitfield would hit a line drive right at somebody once in a while, wouldn’t you?”
As Whitfield’s drive sailed over Brooks Robinson’s head, Roberts reported that the Oriole third baseman, Brooks Robinson, tossed a quip in his direction that nearly broke him up.
“Robbie hollered over to me: ‘You kept it in the park that time!’ Do you suppose there’s a certain sarcasm there?” Roberts wondered.
“Of course, with a six-run lead, maybe Brooks thought he could afford to be a little funny.”
For Dick Brown, who blasted a pair of homers after Sam Bowens batted in four of the first five Baltimore runs with a single and a homer, playing against his kid brother, Cleveland’s Larry Brown, prompts a mixed reaction.
While the Oriole catcher had a big night, 24-year-old Larry went 0-for-4.
“Playing against Larry makes it more a game than a job,” said Dick, who is five years older than the Indians’ second baseman.
“I hate to see Larry look bad, but I don’t want him to hurt us either,” he added. “You gotta win in this game, man!
“What I’d really like when he plays against us is to see Larry hit four line drives — right at somebody. That way, we get him out, but he looks good.”
On Larry Brown’s first plate appearance tonight, the big brother, crouched behind him as Roberts’ battery mate, appeared to say something.
“I didn’t say anything to Larry directly,” Dick reported. “I just hollered out to Robin something like: ‘This looks like a good double-play man, Robbie, let’s go!’
“And you know what he did? He hit into a double play! How about that!”
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